Smells Like Infinite Sadness

Following last year's podcast episode celebrating the best albums from 1994 , co-host Chris Logan and I dive in to the best 25 albums from 25 years ago, in this case the year 1995. '95 was another great year for alternative rock in all its disparate forms, and it was a particularly eclectic one as well, from anthemic rock from The Smashing Pumpkins, Faith No More, Radiohead, Oasis and Filter, to t...

Billy Gould has had a busy 2020. Not only has he reunited with Faith No More (for which he plays bass and is a founding member), he's just released 'Talking Book 2,' the long awaited follow-up to 2011's 'Talking Book' by the band of the same name. Gould rounds out the musical trio, which also features Jared Blum and Dominic Cramp of Gigante Sound, and 'Talking Book 2' (out April 24 on Gould's Kool...

On this week's episode of the SLIS podcast, co-host Chris Logan and I choose our picks for the 2020 inductees for the RRHOF .  It wasn't easy given next year's artists for consideration include Soundgarden, Depeche Mode, Motörhead, Judas Priest, Kraftwerk, Nine Inch Nails, The MC5, T.Rex, Thin Lizzy, Pat Benatar, Todd Rundgren, The Doobie Brothers, The Notorious B.I.G, Whitney Houston, Rufus...

Following our podcast episode ranking the best albums from 1989 , co-host Chris Logan and I dive in to the best 25 albums from 1993 turning 25 this year. '94 was a HUGE year for alternative rock, hip-hop and metal, with bands like Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Ween, Suede and more releasing instant classics, killer debuts from the likes of Weezer and Portishead, great sou...

On this week's podcast my special guest is Brad Laner, best known as the guitarist and songwriter for Medicine , one of the most interesting and uncompromising alternative acts of the 90s.  Laner’s unique guitar tone and playing style led to the band being associated with the UK shoegaze scene, so much so that they were the first American band signed to Creation Records. The group are perhaps...

This week's guest is David J , best known as the bass player for goth legends Bauhaus and as the bassist and co-vocalist of post-punk icons Love and Rockets .  His work in both bands helped each achieve cult status, still revered to this day with classic tracks like 'Bela Lugosi's Dead', 'Dark Entries', 'She's In Parties,' 'So Alive', 'Haunted When The Minutes Drag' and 'Ball of Confusion' (t...

On this week's installment of the long-delayed follow-up to our ’Smells Like Cinematic Sadness' series, co-host Damon Shell and I look back at ‘Body Melt,' a 1994 Ozploitation horror cheapie about dietary supplements with very unfortunate side effects. A poor man's exercise into the splatstick oeuvre ala pre-LOTR Peter Jackson, 'Body Melt' is full of bad gross-out effects, a plot that never quite...

Dutch actor Rutger Hauer passed away last month at the age of 75, and for 80's and 90's cult movie lovers, it was a huge loss. Kids from Generation X grew up watching the actor at either the local cineplex or on their VCR's thanks to classic films like Blade Runner, The Hitcher, Ladyhawke, Nighthawks, Blind Fury, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and much more, while modern movie audiences may recall him...

Following on the heels of last year's Smells Like Infinite Sadness episode ranking the best albums from 1988 , co-host Chris Logan and I decided to tackle all the best albums turning 30 in 2019. That's right, 1989 was 30 years ago! We're old!! 1989 was a big year for alternative rock, foreshadowing the rise of its commercial and critical appeal in the 90s (speaking of, we're tackling 1994 next) as...

While Marty Willson-Piper is best known for his work with Aussie alt-rock pioneers The Church, the guitarist/singer-songwriter has had a rich and varied solo career outside his former band (who he departed in 2013 after a 20 year run). He's also worked with the likes of Grace Slick, Linda Perry and Aimee Mann and has been a member of a number of bands including Noctorum, MOAT, and Swedish prog-roc...

On this week's episode of the SLIS podcast, co-host Chris Logan and I dive into the 2019 inductees for the RRHOF , including Radiohead, Roxy Music, The Cure, The Zombies, Stevie Nicks, Def Leppard and Janet Jackson.   We discuss if these bands truly belong in the RRHOF, some of the more glaring omissions from over the years, and if the RRHOF even matters in the first place (always a polarizin...

Christmas is just around the corner, so what better way to celebrate the holiday spirit than talking about an absolutely horrible yuletide horror movie? Co-host Damon Shell and I dive down the chimney and discuss the cinematic trainwreck that is 'Silent Night Deadly Night 5: The Toymaker', a film wholly unrelated to the original Santa Claus slasher film, and starring Mickey Rooney, an actor who or...

Earlier this week co-host Chris Logan and I discussed " 10 Bands You Either Love or Hate ," those artists who are so polarizing, so divisive and so resolute in their vision, that they either inspire passionate followers or derisive haters. We previously covered Rush, The Eagles, Smashing Pumpkins, Dave Matthews Band and The Grateful Dead ( click here to listen ), but in this episode, we discuss 5...

How many arguments have you had with your friends on whether a band is great or terrible? If you're a music nerd, probably many. Some bands just don't inspire a casual fan base. They're so polarizing, so absolute, that they either cultivate a die-hard fanbase or legions of haters. And that's what this podcast episode is dedicated. In part one of our two part series, Chris Logan and I discuss bands...

This year, Prince's powerful backing band The Revolution are touring to celebrate the legacy they share with the late icon, and will be playing Emo's Austin on December 29th. And one key member who will be performing live is Matt Fink, better known as 'Dr. Fink.' The keyboardist, always clad in signature scrubs, was instrumental in crafting many Prince classics, co-writing tracks like 'Dirty Mind'...

The late great Stan Lee passed away at the age of 95 this week. On this week's episode we celebrate the Marvel Comics legend's legacy, including his creative genius, his at times controversial reputation, the best comic characters he created, and the resounding impact he had on our childhood and beyond. In addition, we discuss how he tackled complicated social issues through tales of superheroes,...

Night Club are one of the most exciting new indie acts, exploring a unique mix of darkwave, industrial, and modern pop. On this week's episode, I speak with vocalist Emily Kavanaugh about the electronic duo's recent release 'Scary World,' from its lyrical inspirations to the twisted, alluring video for the single 'Candy Coated Suicide.' In addition, we discuss her thoughts on Night Club opening up...

On this week's podcast, co-host Dave Dierksen and I recap the wide arrange of great (and not so great) films at this year's Fantastic Fest at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX, an eight day crash course in genre filmmaking from around the globe. Selections discussed include the new "Halloween" film (and meeting Jamie Lee Curtis!), the world premiere of "Bad Times at The El Royale," the U.S. premi...

John Christ's dark, bluesy riffs and squealing solos were one of the most integral components of Danzig's first four albums. As part of the original lineup, which also featured bassist Eerie Von and drummer Chuck Biscuits, Christ (whose real name is John Knoll) contributed to classic songs including Twist Of Cain, She Rides and Mother, all of which were featured on their Rick Rubin produced 1988 s...

The infamously horrible 'E.T.' knockoff 'Mac and Me' turned 30 last month. Co-host Damon Shell and I look back on a film that featured a dance scene in a McDonald's, a kid flying off a cliff in a wheelchair, and an alien that was more creepy and annoying than cute. Ah, the 80's. It's the first in our "All The Small Things" series featuring tiny creatures meant to terrify or charm, but just wind up...

At SLIS, the only thing we love as much as classic alternative rock are movies that are so bad they're good. So we're launching a semi-regular series called "Smells Like Cinematic Sadness" where we discuss our favorite bad movies. This week co-host Damon Shell and myself tackle Raw Deal, one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's most ridiculous action flicks, full of horrible one-liners, lame action sequence...

Following our podcast episode ranking the best albums from 1988, co-host Chris Logan and I decided to tackle the best 1993 albums turning 25 this year. To do so, we picked the 25 best–our own 12 individual picks and a mutual tiebreaker to wrap things up for the best of that year. ’93 was a massive year for alternative rock, with bands like Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Afghan Whigs, Depeche Mode and...

Super excited to talk about a new feature on Anchor that will let listeners support their fave podcasts in a whole new way.

Gene Loves Jezebel were one of the most unique and infectious alternative acts of the 1980's, forging a unique mix of glam and goth resulting in memorable hits like 'The Motion of Love,' 'Desire,' 'Jealous,' 'Stephen,' and 'Twenty Killer Hurts'. The group fronted by Jay Aston (known in America as Jay Aston's Gene Loves Jezebel for legal reasons--his twin brother and original co-founding member Mic...

On this week's podcast we're shaking things up: instead of our normal music-related fare, we're talking to writer Brian Corley about his new book 'Ghost Bully,' which takes place in his (and my) hometown of Austin, TX and is a fun throwback to 80's horror.